As a charity supporting young people, we have also seen a considerable rise in 16-18 year olds seeking financial support (as reported in Daily Echo article ‘hundreds of Southampton teenagers have sought support from Universal Credit’).

Accord to the Education Act, young people should still be in education but the options for them are limited.

As part of our ‘Help Us Move On’ project, in partnership with the Southern Policy Centre and The Blagrave Trust, No Limits is calling on local councils and further education providers to collaborate and deliver an increase in the numbers of ‘informal’ education and training places to enable 16-19 years olds to achieve qualifications and acquire valuable skills in a more practical and easier to understand format.

Wider use of such alternatives would prevent the rise in disengagement that often happens at the age of 17, reducing the rates of unemployment and poverty among young people.

James McCombe

No Limits

Southampton